A Magical Holiday

LAPLAND - A Dream come true for 12 families with children who have heart disorders.

On 18th December, Steven and I set off to begin a ver exciting weekend with 12 other families on a trip of a lifetime, to Lapland. We were all to meet in newcastle initially for a welcome party, this gave everyone the chance to get to know one another. On Sunday morning, at 5.45am, the coach picked us up and took us to the airport.

The plane was full of very excited children and adults. When we arrived in Lapland, the view was just like a typical Christmas card, everything was covered in pure white snow. We were led out of the airport to a huge tent they called the dressing hall. Everyone was given ski-suits, ski-boots, thick socks, gloves, hats and scarves. As all the ski-suits were the same, the children in our party were issued with reflective bands so that we could recognise then straight away, as it was dark.

We were then take to awaiting skidoos. The journey to the reindeer farm was about 30 minutes. The temperature was -10 so we stopped half way and were given hot berry juice.

When we arrived at the farm, the sight was magical. Everywhere was lit up with candles and all the trees were lit up with Christmas lights. We split up into groups and went in different directions. Helen, the cardiologist, came with Steven and I and we made our way to the husky ride. It was very fast and very bumpy but good.

After having two rides, we headed for the reindeer ride. It was just like Santa's sleigh. After that we went on the sledges. The hill was very steep and very fast, Steven thought it was great fun and had loads of turns. After that, we went to do some ice-fishing. There were very deep holes drilled in the ice and we were given fishing rods to try and catch something. I think we would have had to sit there a long time to catch anything but it was too cold, so we went to see Santa in his house.

It certainly made an impact on the children because they all commented on how real the house was. Steven couldn't believe that Santa had a real kitchen with a real cooker. Steven had a long chat with Santa, who looked incredibly real, even to the adults. Santa then gave him a present, which really made his day.

We then decided we needed something to eat and a hot drink, so we went into the cafe. There was hot soup and bread, jacket potatoes, pasta, hot fresh griddled scones and hot drinks. Best of all was that it had a roaring fire and it was nice and warm inside. We just had enough time to go to the souvenir shop to buy a momento. By this time it was 7.30pm and very cold, so we went back to the airport on the coach. We had to change back into our own clothes and make our way to the departure lounge.